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The Hubble Space Telescope Is Back - Better Than Ever! Final Servicing Mission.
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"Improved Hubble Shows Evidence of Dark Matter"
• http://www.youtube.com/user/tdarnell#play/uploads/2/3wluv08tDhU
• http://www.deepastronomy.com/
"When Hubble Opened its New Eyes"
• http://www.youtube.com/AndromedasWake
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bytNgT7l8k
"The Hubble Space Telescope - Rebirth of an Icon (Hubblecast 30)"
• http://www.youtube.com/ESOcast
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hjy7YSIH-GI
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The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) is a space telescope that was carried into orbit by the space shuttle in April 1990. It is named after the American astronomer Edwin Hubble. Although not the first space telescope, the Hubble is one of the largest and most versatile, and is well-known as both a vital research tool and a public relations boon for astronomy.
The HST is a collaboration between NASA and the European Space Agency, and is one of NASA's Great Observatories, along with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, and the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Space telescopes were proposed as early as 1923. The Hubble was funded in the 1970s, with a proposed launch in 1983, but the project was beset by technical delays, budget problems, and the Challenger disaster. When finally launched in 1990, scientists found that the main mirror had been ground incorrectly, severely compromising the telescope's capabilities.
However, after a servicing mission in 1993, the telescope was restored to its intended quality. Hubble's orbit outside the distortion of Earth's atmosphere allows it to take extremely sharp images with almost no background light. Hubble's Ultra Deep Field image, for instance, is the most detailed visible-light image ever made of the universe's most distant objects. Many Hubble observations have led to breakthroughs in astrophysics, such as accurately determining the rate of expansion of the universe.
The Hubble is the only telescope ever designed to be serviced in space by astronauts. There have been five servicing missions, the last occurring in May 2009. Servicing Mission 1 took place in December 1993 when Hubble's imaging flaw was corrected. Servicing missions 2, 3A, and 3B repaired various sub-systems and replaced many of the observing instruments with more modern and capable versions.
However, following the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia accident, the fifth servicing mission was canceled on safety grounds. After spirited public discussion, NASA reconsidered this decision, and administrator Mike Griffin approved one final Hubble servicing mission. STS-125 was launched in May 2009, and installed two new instruments and made numerous repairs.
The latest servicing should allow the telescope to function until at least 2014, when its successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), is due to be launched. The JWST will be far superior to Hubble for many astronomical research programs, but will only observe in infrared, so it will complement (not replace) Hubble's ability to observe in the visible and ultraviolet parts of the spectrum.
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubble_Space_Telescope
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Kepler-22b New Planet With Earth-Like Characteristics Discovered In Habitable Zone thoughts
NASA's Kepler Confirms Its First Planet in Habitable Zone of Sun-like Star: Kepler 22-b (5/12/2011) thoughts
NASA's Kepler Mission Announces Latest Planetary Discovery
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This is amazing news according to reports NASA announced the discovery of Kepler-22b this is great the first planet the Kepler spacecraft has discovered in the habitable zone, an area with a distance from a star where temperatures will permit the existence of liquid water.Reports say the discovery of Kepler-22b which is 600 light-years away from Earth, brings scientists one step closer to finding a planet that could possibly harbor life Earth may not be the only one This is a major milestone on the road to finding Earth's twins Kepler's results continue to demonstrate the importance of NASA's science missions, which aim to answer some of the biggest questions about our place in the universe Kepler-22b has several Earth-like characteristics according to reports The new planet's temperature is around 72 degrees Fahrenheit and its radius is 2.4 times Earth's. The planet completely orbits its star, which is similar to our sun, every 290 days, just 75 days shy of an Earth year Reports say that the National Optical Astronomy Observatory announced the discovery of Kepler-21b, a new planet with a radius 1.6 times Earth's. But unlike Kepler-21b, which is only about 3.7 million miles away from its sun and is therefore a scorching 2,960 degrees Fahrenheit, Kepler-22b is about 79 million miles from its sun, coming in at a pleasant 72 degrees.
it's not yet clear if Kepler-22b is composed or rock, gas or liquid according to reports.
Scientists use the Kepler spacecraft to discover new planets by analyzing extremely faint dips in light from far-away stars. These "dips" occur each time the planet passes between the Kepler and its sun, therefore obstructing the star's light. In order for a planet to be confirmed, scientists must observe the celestial body orbit its sun three times according to sources Kepler-22B takes 290 days to orbit its sun, it took nearly three Earth years for scientists to confirm that it was a planet.
Earth Like Planet Discovered 2011 Earths Twin Life In Space 29/11/2011 NASA Find New Planets Outside Solar System Universe Extraterrestrials
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Space Odyssey: Voyage To The Planets
This two-part science fiction docu-drama examines the possibilities of a dangerous, manned space mission to explore the inner and outer planets of the Solar system.
Five astronauts pilot the nuclear thermal rocket powered Pegasus spacecraft on a tour of the solar system. Their mission is a collaboration of the NASA, CSA, ESA and РКА space agencies and takes the crew to Venus, Mars, a close flyby of the Sun, Jupiter's moon Io and Europa, Saturn, Pluto, and the fictional Comet Yano-Moore. Most of the planetary destinations the crew reaches are followed by a manned landing there.
Prior to the mission large tanks of hydrogen were deposited in stable orbits around the planets to allow the crew to refuel to have sufficient delta-v for the multi-year mission.
The crew encounter many hardships and disappointments along the way. A Venus EVA that almost ends in disaster when the lander Orpheus encounters launch delays, the near-loss of the shield during the aerobrake in Jupiter's upper atmosphere (according to the first part of the miniseries) and the loss of samples from Jupiter's moon Io all test the crew's resolve.
The most devastating blow comes when the ship's medical officer dies of solar radiation-induced lymphoma in Saturn orbit, forcing the crew to decide whether to continue the mission to Pluto, or abort and return to Earth. In the original British release, the crew decides to press on to Pluto, making history.

Visit http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/07sep_twomoons/ for the full story.
Did our planet once have two moons? Some researchers say so. Moreover, the missing satellite might still be up there--splattered across the far side of the Moon. NASA's GRAIL mission could help confirm or refute the "two moon" hypothesis.

Visit http://science.nasa.gov/ for more.
NASA's Kepler spacecraft is discovering a veritable avalanche of alien worlds. As the numbers mount, it seems to be just a matter of time before Kepler finds what astronomers are really looking for: an Earth-like planet orbiting its star in the "Goldilocks zone".

Visit http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/17feb_winterplanets/ for more.
The brightest planets in the night sky are aligning for a must-see show in late February and March 2012. Start looking tonight!

Visit http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/09may_morningplanets/ for more!
The Great Morning Planet Show of May 2011 is underway. Wake up before sunrise any day this month to see a shape-shifting alignment of heavenly lights.